Mother of the Bride Diary: Part three

Mother-of-the-bride, Elaine Cook goes bridesmaids dress shopping and offers her advice

A bloom of beautiful bridesmaids. This is how I would describe our little group as we headed for the shops to find the perfect bridesmaids dresses. As mother-of-the-bride, I was glad I had paid some attention to my make-up and outfit for the day as I was surrounded by five lovelies with peaches and cream complexions and style!

First let me say that the colour of the dresses had changed over Christmas and from one end of the spectrum to the other (I’m not saying which way round it was!) The problem we encountered was finding a dress in the first colour that Gemma had considered that she actually liked. Maybe Christmas wasn’t the best time of year as there wasn’t a lot of choice for summer weddings! Once we had changed the colour, things got a bit easier. The first dresses we tried on looked lovely but were too expensive. (One of the girls also tried on a dress in the original colour which only proved that the colour didn’t suit her at all.). So on we went with our search. However we discovered there wasn’t much else to choose from (and we looked everywhere.) A tad weary, we stocked up on wine and nibbles and headed for home. And guess what! We found the perfect dresses on line whilst sipping a glass of Semillon- Blanc with our shoes kicked off!

So here are my tips for bridesmaid dress shopping. Find a style that suits all body shapes or consider different styles for each girl. Choose a colour that complements each girl’s complexion and don’t be swayed by current colour trends. Check on line even if it means trying on and sending back. It saves a lot of time and is especially useful if your girls live some distance apart. Do have a day together if you can though, as it’s a great way for the girls to get to know one another better and is a lot of fun.

Finally, get your apres-shopping goodies in before you go as the last thing you need is to trail round the supermarket when you’re plum tuckered!

Elaine Cook is the mother of wedding stationer, Gemma Milly. For more information visit www.gemmamilly.com